Ok Wine-o’s, After 1.5 years of the Hammo to Hobart Campaign, Wine~Dark Sea is back in cruising mode, though we are gearing up for the Port Stephen Regatta in May. Hopefully you’ve read Pete’s Hammo to Hobart blog to understand the Triumphs and Tribulations of that campaign.
Converting back to cruising
Getting her back to cruising mode is familiar territory, this time round though, we juggled repairs, upgrades & added some smart storage solutions, energy saving gadgets and some new mod coms to our cruising kit.
After an extensive fault-finding mission the 240V power panel was replaced. We also got sick of duct tape or impaling our feet on the broken flooring ring pulls and replaced them as well. The original shelving in the cupboard across from the forward head was reinstated for smarter storage. All the linen has been replaced as the previous set was used to mop up diesel (intentionally or otherwise). We do still need another trip to Ikea (you need way more towels and floor mats when you have a puppo onboard)
Coffee Machine Mk II has gone, we are currently looking for a replacement. We survived this trip on leftover cappuccino sachets – barely! Pete needs proper coffee to function, and I need Pete to function. If anyone has any top recommendations for a boat-friendly coffee machine, send it our way!
The saloon is drier and brighter than ever thanks to two new fixed windows! The fixed windows were done by Buckingham Marine, who did an amazing job. Highly recommended! We do need to find a solution to cover the deck penetrations of the fixed windows. We’ve been given a hot tip from James and Snowy to use PVC mouldings to bend around. We do now realise that the others need replacing too. The Perspex has crazed and seals need replacing. With the new ones as comparison, we now really WANT them replaced. Once they’re all replaced, it will be sunhats down below!
Thanks to the crews daily stealth procurement at 2025 HIRW, we are now sipping in style with new red Piper Heidsieck glasses.
K-Mart came through with smaller, perfect-fit containers for the fridge and freezer. The removable baskets are brilliant for fresh produce—so you can dispose your rubbish before heading out. Again.
K-mart had the goods for our new ice maker. Sundowners are now a breeze—ice in six minutes, frozen margaritas on demand. If you’re considering a low-power (only 200W) ice maker for your boat, highly recommend. This has now been added to the anchoring procedure!
Our First trip has been this 2026 Easter weekend. We set off just after noon from RSYS to Pittwater. Later start than planned, but keeping up with my walking goals took priority.
As mentioned, it’s been a while since we’ve been cruising. We’ve done plenty of deliveries when racing, but with us pivoting to ready-made meals from the supermarkets, we have gotten out of practice with cooking onboard.
We cannot for the life of us find the saucepans. Our plan was to BBQ the whole weekend. On the trip up, the BBQ grill made a splash…. Let’s just say, the baking tray for the oven quickly became the hero of the weekend as did our plans for a new BBQ and setup.
The trip up was good. Sailing at a steady 8 knots, jib only—no need for the main. Diesel prices made sailing even more rewarding. Missy, wasn’t a fan of the sound of sails, or winches so she got a new SOP: during manoeuvres, she heads to the starboard aft cabin for a chill-out.
As the pole has been extended, we have now found the jib change sheets are now not long enough for poling the jib to windward. As usual you find out too late when you’re halfway through the manoeuvre.
Arriving in Pittwater. When deciding where to anchor, as you do, we checked our AIS to see how busy anchoring spots were. Refuge and America Bays were understandably busy for the Easter weekend so we decided on Hungry Beach. Only 2 other boats and a beach to take Missy ashore. Perfect.
No issues anchoring, I am sure the Ice Maker made it easier….
Our go-to for the first night onboard—seafood salad on brioche. Lucky, as the missing BBQ plate meant no grilling.
First trip we took, Pete struggled to let go of provisioning, however I bullied my way in to prove I was worthy. Years of camping and adventure had made me the provisioning pro. Pete’s only complaint? I pack too much food. Under-catering is my greatest fear!
Another go-to are Manly Burgers from “The Butcher and the Chef” at Harris Farm in Manly. This time, we had croissant burger buns. I recently found this on the menu in Perth café and have been craving it ever since. I have to say, it was underwhelming. We’ll stick to the normal Brioche buns from here on in.
Our meals were decadent over the week and certainly not how we will be eating when we do our big trip. Our waistline and the storage would be the issue. All cooked, mind you, in the baking tray! Long Live the baking tray!
I love Easter and dressing tables – we had both Easter and a table! So I got to dressing. I don’t want to miss out on the things I love to do the things I love.
We read, we hammocked, I cleaned the waterline from the Kayak. That is my job due to my fish phobia! Pete tinkered.
Several trips ashore to take Missy for a run and a poop (of course we cleaned it up), she only fell into the water once, she did have her lifejacket on, so the only injury was to Pete’s foot where she scratched him trying to stay in the kayak.
I was very close to my next segment and NEEDED to get there while we were away. About 100 laps later – I made it to Prestons Beach. (for context, I am currently doing a virtual lap of Australia, I’ve got just under 6,000km to go). It did make me realise, although it is doable, that’s not how I want to spend my time on our trip so I would like to have as much of the lap done as I can, before we head off. 145kms to my next segment.
For more mod coms, I got Pete a projector for his birthday, I had the idea of sitting in the cockpit, with a blanket, popcorn, under the stars watching a moving on a big screen. Pete was not convinced – after all why would you want a TV onboard? After talking him through the visual of it and “it’s the occasional movie” and “it’s a great way to have other cruisers over” he loved the idea. Pete rigged up a proof-of-concept screen using the cleanest drop sheet we had. He came around quickly and has now ordered a proper screen. We should receive delivery any day now.
We’re all set up, mattresses from Starboard cabin, popcorn, a glass of wine in our new glasses, screen set up, movie selected, Missy settled, projector in position. I FORGOT THE REMOTE!!!! We couldn’t use it… the popcorn was eaten, the wine was drunk, everything was put away and we went to bed 😊 Not a wasted night. A lesson learned night and Pete is SOLD on the idea!
Come Monday morning, it’s an early morning pack up. Kayak, Hammock and all the usual suspects upstairs was handled by Pete. Downstairs was my domain. Linens ready for washing, cleaning and food packed away. Works well!
There was not enough breeze to sail home, so we motored on. We did need to put the main up to dry it out after all the rain. We had a little issue with the main, the headline got caught in the narrowest of gaps around the reefing blocks at the gooseneck. It had also dragged in a boom bag rigging line so it was wedged fast. AS much as Pete wailed on it, it wouldn’t budge. In the end we attached the jib sheet around the offending line and winched it out with another bang to startle Missy.
We motored back to RSYS where we filled up with fuel as they have the cheapest fuel we have seen around at $2.83/ litre. Before you all rush out, Members Only, Boats only, No Jerry cans.
After we washed the decks, vacuumed downstairs and got her back on the mooring we were home in time for the 7pm news and a pizza from our local. Extra pepperoni to add to our weekend of gluttony.
I am still rocking this morning and have loads of ideas for mods to WDS. The cruising itch back! Can’t wait to do the delivery to Port Stephens in a month.
winedarkseablog 